Of course, the first Love Your Neighbor Challenge begins with prayer - in fact, we couldn't call this little experiment a success if each day didn't begin with prayer! Prayer won't change God's heart toward your neighbors (He's already crazy about them!), but it will change you... and - who knows? - your home in heaven could have the same next door neighbors as earth! "There’s no perfect prayer formula; there are no perfect prayers or pray-ers."How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird,...

When you visualize your neighborhood, Jesus’ ginormous command to love the whole, wide world becomes local again.   Your second challenge of the Love Your Neighbor Challenge is to draw a map of your neighborhood. This begs the question, "How can a piece of paper help me love my neighbor?" Before we answer that, let's ask another age old question: "Who is my neighbor?" In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus defined neighbor as anyone and everyone with whom we live or whom we have the...

Harry & Sherry were great neighbors - friendly, thoughtful and kind. We talked across the fence often. That’s why I was horrified when they signed the guest list at our last block party as “Harry and Beth.” Had I been calling her by the wrong name all these years? "Ummmm... is your name Sherry or Beth?” I asked awkwardly. “Yes!” she answered. Turns out, she goes by Sherry but her family calls her Beth. Whew! Your next challenge in the Love Your Neighbor Challenge is to learn the name of...

Your next Love Your Neighbor Challenge is to serve your neighbors. Intentionally serve outside your usual church circles to meet people from a variety of backgrounds and interests... kinda like Jesus did when He left heaven to come serve us. Choose a local organization or cause that aligns with your passion and experience, and spend some time learning about the people they serve and how they are structured. Here are some tips to help you get started!Serve with your hands Invest some elbow...

Your challenge on the next Love Your Neighbor Challenge is to give a gift to a neighbor. If you don't know your neighbor well (or at all!), having a little gift for them gives you something to talk about as soon as the door is opened. It's an instant ice breaker. How did you feel the last time someone gave you an unexpected gift? Donna recently gave me a vintage dish towel that matches my kitchen, Bettie gave me a pair of socks to go with a new sweater, and Michelle gave me a bowl of soup made...